DAVAO CITY – Chanelle Avaricio wavered at the finish but proved as hungry as ever, fending off a pack of determined challengers to seize control of the ICTSI South Pacific Golf Classic with a four-under 68 here on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Two late bogeys spoiled what could’ve been an explosive start to another title drive for the Apo Golf Classic champion, but a dazzling six-birdie spree in the first 10 holes was enough to keep her firmly in the driver’s seat against a field eager to knock her off her perch.

“I played really well on the front nine, but I made two late bogeys, including a three-putt mistake. The greens are very hard to read,” said Avaricio, whose effort still earned her a one-stroke edge over Sarah Ababa and Princess Superal, who matched 69s.

With 36 holes still to play, Avaricio remained grounded despite her strong start.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” she said.

Picking up exactly where she left off after her emphatic seven-stroke triumph at Apo last week, Avaricio once again displayed the poise and precision of a player in complete command. With her rhythm unbroken and her confidence surging, she turned the South Pacific Golf and Leisure Estate into her personal stage, storming ahead by two over Superal after 10 holes of the ₱1-million championship.

From the onset, it was clear Avaricio was playing in a different gear. She birdied the opening two holes, setting the tone early, and then went on a tear with birdies on Nos. 5, 7 and 8 to close out the front nine with a scorching 31. Even as the skies dimmed and hints of rain loomed, her focus never wavered.

“I’m looking forward to playing good in the next two days,” said Avaricio, whose calm exterior masked a relentless drive underneath. “It was about staying in the moment and taking it one shot at a time.”

The strategy worked to perfection as she picked up another birdie on the 10th. But just when it seemed she had the par-72 layout all figured out, it struck back, yielding bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16 that allowed Ababa, Superal, and several others to close in.

Avaricio’s closest pursuers also made early noise, but none could quite match her sustained intensity. Superal kept pace with four birdies on the front nine but lost momentum on the way home, settling for a three-under card after a closing bogey.

“My driving and iron game clicked compared to last week,” said Superal as she reflected on her round.

Just a stroke behind the leader, she emphasized the importance of maintaining focus. “I want to focus on the process of my game – every shot, I have to execute it right. The greens are tough, very challenging.”

Superal could’ve forced a share of the lead, but a stumble on the finishing par-5 cost her. She came up short on her third shot, then again from a muddy lie, before missing the par putt.

In contrast, Ababa drew motivation from the return of her father, Edgar, as caddie. She turned a two-birdie, two-bogey front nine into a strong finish, stringing three birdies in a four-hole stretch from No. 11 for a 36-33 card – putting herself in contention for a second leg win this year after edging Avaricio in sudden death at Del Monte.

“Balik uli ang tatay ko sa bag ko. Kapag siya kasi ang caddie, sobrang confident ako – kahit hindi maganda ang palo ko, kumpyansa pa rin ako kasi alam kong aalalayan niya ako hanggang dulo,” said Ababa, who muffed three short par putts early on but made up for them with a trio of long conversions midway through the round.

Ababa has won three tournaments with her father on the bag, though she struggled to a 10th-place finish at Apo, where Edgar missed the event to compete in the men’s division.

Homegrown ace Florence Bisera, who scored a Ladies Philippine Golf Tour breakthrough here in 2023, rallied late on the front nine with three straight birdies but also stalled at the back with bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16, finishing with a 71 for fourth, three strokes off the pace.

Daniella Uy and Harmie Constantino also turned in a pair of strong starts with the former birdying Nos. 8 and 9, only to reel back with three bogeys in the last five holes. She finished with a 73 for joint fifth with Chihiro Ikeda and Monica Mandario.

Constantino, searching for her old winning form after a four-title haul last season, birdied three of the first five holes but stumbled with costly errors and tumbled to joint eighth at 74 with Marvi Monsalve, Mafy Singson, Pamela Mariano, Gretchen Villacencio, Velinda Castil and Apple Fudolin.

Despite her windup, Avaricio remained unshaken – her every swing measured, her pace deliberate, her mindset unbreakable. Even under tough conditions, she played as though insulated from everything around her, in that rare, coveted state where every decision, every putt, seemed effortless.